No Bake Protein Cookies
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No bake protein cookies made with just eight simple ingredients and without any butter or white sugar! They’re oil-free, vegan and gluten-free.
No bake cookies have always been my favorite and I LOVE these no bake protein cookies because they’re healthier and loaded with protein. So basically, they’re a snack that you can eat any time of day… you can thank me later!
Traditional no bake cookies are made with butter, milk and refined sugar and have around 18 grams of sugar per cookie! This version only has 3 grams of sugar per cookie and we’re swapping the refined sugar for a mashed banana (or maple syrup if you prefer). It also has no butter or oil and uses whole rolled oats instead of instant AND they still taste good. Like really good, and not just to people like me who like healthy food. Others have said they’re good too.
These cookies are perfect a great snack option any time of year! With the protein powder, peanut butter and oats, they’re basically like a protein bar or protein ball, but in the shape of a cookie.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Protein-packed sweetness – Thanks to protein powder and peanut butter, each bite gives you a little extra fuel to power through your day.
- No oven required – Keep your kitchen cool and skip the baking step. These cookies set right in your fridge.
- Minimal ingredients – A handful of pantry staples is all you need. Seriously, you probably have everything on hand right now.
- Perfect texture – Soft, chewy, and just the right amount of chocolatey goodness, these cookies satisfy that sweet tooth without feeling heavy.
Ingredients Needed
- old-fashioned rolled oats – these give our cookies that chewy, hearty texture we all love. I’m obsessed with Bob’s Red Mill oats—if you need gluten-free, they’ve got you covered!
- vanilla protein powder – a plant-based vanilla protein powder works best here. It adds subtle sweetness, a boost of protein, and keeps everything nice and vegan-friendly.
- creamy peanut butter – Rich and creamy, peanut butter is the heart of this recipe. It gives each bite that classic nutty flavor and makes the cookies moist and satisfying.
- non-dairy milk – I love using unsweetened vanilla almond milk for just a hint of extra vanilla goodness.
- mashed banana – sweet, natural goodness right here! Using banana instead of straight-up sugar means extra moisture and a gentle, fruity sweetness that keeps these cookies feeling wholesome.
- cocoa powder – pure chocolate flavor without any added sugar; yes, please! This simple ingredient turns our cookies into a rich, chocolatey treat.
Find the full ingredient list with measurements in the recipe card below.
Substitutions
- Peanut butter: Want a different nutty twist? Swap the peanut butter for creamy almond butter or go nut-free with sunflower seed butter.
- Mashed banana: Not feeling the banana flavor? Use maple syrup instead for sweetness. You might just need a bit more oat flour if the dough seems too wet.
- Milk: Any dairy-free milk works here—try oat, soy, or coconut if that’s what you have on hand.
- Protein powder: If you don’t have a vanilla plant-based protein powder, experiment with chocolate or another flavor. Just note that the taste and color might shift slightly.
How to Make No Bake Protein Cookies
Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, combine oats and protein powder until the oats are evenly coated.
Cook Wet Ingredients: In a saucepan over medium-low heat, stir almond milk, peanut butter, banana or maple syrup, cocoa powder, and salt until the cocoa dissolves and the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Combine Mixtures: Pour the chocolate-peanut butter mixture over the oat mixture and stir until all the oats are fully coated.
Chill the Dough (Optional): Place the dough in the fridge for about 10 minutes to cool and thicken, making it easier to shape the cookies.
Shape the Cookies: Drop spoonfuls of the chilled dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Use your hands to form them into round cookies.
Serve or Store: Enjoy the cookies right away or chill them until serving. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for longer.
Brittany’s Tip
My favorite protein powder is Nuzest Clean Lean Protein. It has a short ingredient list, great nutrition facts and great flavor! They are vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, lectin-free and non-GMO. Use code eatingbirdfood for 15% off your order!
How to Store
Store these cookies in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 1 week. These also freeze well if you need to keep them longer. Store cookies in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! Any plant-based or whey protein powder should work. Vanilla or chocolate are safe bets, but feel free to experiment. If you try a flavor like peanut butter or mocha, let me know how it turns out!
Yes these cookies are naturally gluten free. Just make sure you’re using a gluten-free protein powder.
Go for it! Stir in mini chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or dried fruit. Feel free to get creative—these cookies are all about making them your own.
More Protein Treats
- Protein Balls
- Chickpea Cookie Dough
- Protein Cookies
- Protein Pudding (3 Ways)
- Protein Banana Bread
- Protein Cookie Dough
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
No Bake Protein Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 scoop (21 grams) vanilla or chocolate protein powder
- ½ cup creamy natural peanut butter, look for one that's thin/drippy
- ½ cup almond milk
- 1 mashed banana, or 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Combine oats and protein powder in a medium sized mixing bowl. Stir until there's a nice dusting of protein powder over all the oats.
- Place almond milk, peanut butter, banana or maple syrup, cocoa powder and sea salt in a saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often until cocoa powder is completely dissolved and the sauce has thickened. Take the pan off the heat and stir in vanilla.
- Pour peanut butter chocolate mixture over oats/protein powder and mix until all pieces of the oatmeal are covered.
- Place batter in the fridge for 10 minutes to let the batter set up – this step is optional, but the cookies will be cool and much easier to shape if you do it.
- Drop chilled dough by spoonfuls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, using hands to work cookies into desired shape – I made these into little round cookies.
- At this point they're ready to enjoy or you can place them in the fridge if you're serving them later. Store any leftover cookies in the refrigerator for 1 week or in the freezer for longer storage.
Notes
- Peanut butter: You can also use almond butter or any other nut/seed butter in place of the peanut butter.
- Storage: Store these cookies in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 1 week. These also freeze well if you need to keep them longer. Store cookies in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This Recipe? Rate & Comment Below!
Great quick healthy cookies for when you got a craving for cookies. I didn’t have pb or banana so I used tahini and mashed dates. Added some cinnamon, cardamom, and allspice. Turned out great. Thank you.
Amazing! It makes me so happy to hear that you are loving these cookies, Bethany. Thank you for taking the time to share your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!
Thanks for the delicious recipe! My protein powder was coffee carmel flavor so I added instant coffee to the pot and drizzled carmel sauce on top at the end. The oatmeal and protein powder are great for milk supply while Breastfeeding, I’ll definitely be making this again!
WOO! This sounds absolutely amazing, Alicia. I am so glad you loved these cookies and they turned out great for you. LOVE the addition of the coffee flavor, sounds delish. Thank you for sharing your review + star rating, it means so much to me!
Great recipe, confession time – my craving was so bad that I didn’t read the whole recipe first and just dumped everything into one bowl (whoops lol) ..they still turned out great!! Love the flavours, totally satisfied my craving and the macros are awesome! Thanks for the recipe :))
Haha! That happens to me sometimes too! So glad the recipe was a success for you, Jamey! Thanks for sharing your review.
So excited about a healthier version about no bake cookies! I was a little confused, though: the instructions talk about cocoa powder and then peanut butter chocolate mixture, but the recipe doesn’t call for cocoa powder. Maybe this is leftover from the original version?
Hey Rachel – In the ingredient card it says 2 T of cocoa powder. Are you not seeing that?
Oh goodness 😂 I see it now. Sorry about that!
No worries!! 🙂
Making these now! I see the nutrition information, but I can’t find how big each cookie is supposed to be, or (relatedly) how many cookies one batch is supposed to make. I am not a regular cookie-maker, maybe that knowledge is assumed, but I don’t know it!
Shoot, I don’t remember! This is an older recipe. I need to actually retest it! But I usually use a Tablespoon when scooping dough for cookies and then roll them into balls from there. Let me know how they turn out for you!
Hey it looks like you changed this recipe? Or the link I was using before got redirected. There was a no-bake recipe with coconut oil and coconut brown sugar that I was using before… does that still exist somewhere or could you email that recipe to me? Thanks!
Hi Adam. Good catch, for some reason my traditional no bake cookie recipe was getting redirected to this one with the protein powder. Here’s the recipe you’re looking for: healthy no bake cookies.
Brittany I’m getting the same link, it’s a time loop! Browser issue? Email is listed if you want to send the direct link. If I hadn’t just bought the extra coconut oil I would try this one but I have a whole tub to use up! Thank youuuuu
It must be a browser cache issue. Can you clear your cookies? If not, I can send you a direct link via email. I’m so sorry for the inconvenience.
I have had these before but never with the protein powder. The protein powder ruined them. I realize it depends on the brand, how that is going to change the flavor but I don’t think I’ll do that again.
Sorry to hear you didn’t like these with the protein powder, Leslie. What brand of protein powder did you use?
I substitute 1/8 cup of raw honey for the syrup. They’re delicious!
I’m so glad these cookies turned out well for you, Amy! Thanks for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. I really appreciate it. <3
Good cookies but they still have A LOT of sugar in them. 1/4 cup maple syrup has 51 grams of sugar in it and 210 calories.
Ummm…use sugar free maple syrup.
Can you leave out the protein powder in this recipe? Looks so good btw <3
I use vanilla protein powder which gives the cookies a boost of protein (most cookies are low in the protein department) and also adds a hint of vanilla sweetness. If you don’t have any on hand you can always leave it out! If the batter seems too thin without it, just add a couple additional Tablespoons of oats.
hey, which protein powder did you use?
I really like Sunwarrior Vanilla Warrior Blend. It’s a plant-based protein powder.
I grew up with No-Bake cookies, but the family recipe, while delicious, is not the healthiest. I’ve been looking for a recipe that not only tastes just as good, but also doesn’t make me feel guilty for enjoying 3/4 of the batch immediately. 😉 Finding your recipe made my day, and inspired some ideas for utilizing ingredients I had in my pantry.
I substituted half the oatmeal for raw hemp seed hearts–making it packed with omega-3, a host of new vitamins and minerals, and a ton of extra protein. To balance the intense flavor of hemp seed, I added a pinch more sea salt, and did half/half of real grade-A maple syrup and raw coffee blossom honey. I needed to use up my dried black currents, so I tossed a few handfuls into the chocolate before combining with the oatmeal mixture. Also, I love the flavor of natural vanilla–there can never be too much. I used vanilla soy milk, and doubled the vanilla bourbon extract.
These are out of this world delicious and brilliantly healthy–the best tasting protein bars I’ve had in a while. Thank you for your inspiration, Brittany!! Healthy and simple, I’ve found a new favorite pair of No-Bake “Cookie” recipes!!
Oh my word, your version sounds delicious! I LOVE the hemp seed addition. I feel like I need to see a picture of these.
Yummy! So I made some modifications: sweetened vanilla coconut milk, banana instead of maple syrup, chocolate whey protein instead of vanilla, crunchy unsalted peanut butter, halved the cocoa and doubled the vanilla. No added sugar! Definitely less desserty this way though–more like an incredibly decadent snack.
If anyone is interested, I figured out the nutritional info for this whole batch is 1465 calories, 35 grams of fiber, and 56 grams of protein. I wanted to make each cookie about 100 calories so I made the batch into 15 big cookies making each cookie 98 calories with 2.5 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein. Happy snacking!
I’m making these right now. I was wondering if you had the nutritional info on these by chance.
These were amazing! Thanks so much for the recipe!!!
currently making these! absolutely delicious!!! just wondering, about how long should the cookies set for in the fridge/freezer?
Yay! I’d say 30-60 minutes. Enjoy and then store the leftovers in the fridge or freezer. Let me know what you think after you try them. 🙂
Love your recipes. Would you ever consider posting nutritional info for them.
It would be very helpful for folks on limited intake of calories or o. Weight Watchers
Thanks ! 🙂
These cookies look amazing. i love chocolate and peanut together.
Cookies looks really nice. WIll have to do it at home!
Oh wow – I’m drooling already!! Do you think these bad boys would work with other kinds of protein powder? I use hemp but I think it might be a bit overbearing.
Hi Phil. You could certainly use hemp, but I think you’re right — it might be a little overbearing. Do you have a vanilla hemp protein? That might work well!
Thanks, that’s a really good idea Brittany – or maybe even a mix of hemp and rice powders 🙂
Can’t go wrong with chocolate + peanut butter! I’ve never done a no bake cookie – definitely want to try this out!
I love recipes that evolve into healthier versions but still taste delicious! I get ridiculously excited about this kind of ingredients list 😉
I am obsessed with no bake cookies! Can’t wait to try these. I will have to modify them a bit because I am on the candida cleanse, but I WILL make it work! Also, beautiful photos!
Brandy! I’m also on the Candida cleanse!! Can I ask you what you changed on the recipe? I figured instead of peanut butter use Almond butter, and use yucca syrup or SF maple syrup? Thanks!
good like always!
These sound delicious! I love your photography too, very pretty! I’ve pinned these on my board of homemade Christmas gifts to make 🙂
Thank you so much Dearna!
I’m allergic to cocoa..can I just leave out or will I need to add something else like extra oatmeal?
You should be fine to leave it out!
yummy!! we love no bake cookies
Love how they keep progressing! These sound delicious 🙂
I’ve never tried “no-bakes” before, but these were a great introduction. Delish! I used Hershey’s special dark cocoa powder and they came out extra chocolatey.
These are so simple and look and sound so good! I’ll definitely be giving them a try. And what a good idea to give them as a gift. Love the photos!
I’m not much of a “baker,” so I am a sucker for a good no-bake recipe! I cannot wait to try these :).
Thanks for including vegan options (as I see you do often:)
I love no bakes! They are easy and a great treat! I will have to put these on the list to make sometime this holiday season! No oil and less sugar – PERFECT!
Hi Brittany,
Don’t forget dad with those no bakes. they look really good.
I will see you soon.
Dad
These look so good! Love no bake recipes 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
oh yum… these look amazing! love that they’re healthy to boot 🙂 and your presentation is adorable too!
I love no bake cookies!! I def need to make these ones!
Yum! Love no bake recipes! What type of peanut butter did you use? What sort of texture are they from the fridge once they’ve set in the freezer?
These look great! How do you get them so cute! They look like store bought (baked) cookies. I love the packaging!
Oh YUM!!!! These look so good, Brittany! I will absolutely be making these!
These look awesome! Chocolate and PB is my favorite combo, so I definitely need to make these. Pinning for later!
My favorite thing about this recipe is that I already have all the ingredients on hand. Thanks for sharing! I think I’m going to make these for my husband and I to nosh on this week 🙂
Mmmmm! I love no bakes! And these are even healthier, yay! Thanks for sharing….will have to give these a try….maybe with a little peppermint to make them christmassy. I love enjoying these post run as a reward before I fuel up 🙂 Thanks for sharing!